The hashtag was a reminder that black women have long had to steel themselves against such exchanges, highlighting the challenge of balancing race and gender, said Alexis McGill Johnson, executive director of the Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists focused on bias and discrimination.
“It helps us understand the lived experiences of black women every day,” Johnson said. “It’s a tool, a vehicle, for us to affirm and nod and raise our hand up and say, ‘Yeah, me, too,’ and, ‘No, not today.'”
The hashtag attracted everyday women as well as women in politics and entertainment. By Tuesday night, Waters had joined the conversation, tweeting: “I am a strong black woman. I cannot be intimidated, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Black women shared stories on Twitter of unwanted hair touching, having their ideas overlooked or taken, disrespect from subordinates, questioning of their academic credentials, accusations of being angry and criticism for wearing certain clothes drawing attention to curvier body types.
As the hashtag started trending, Packnett tweeted, “I sadly knew it would trend. Not because I’m special. Because I know how we get treated.”
Lassiter, a marketing executive who lives in Austell, Georgia, said navigating such incidents is “this thing we’ve gotten used to putting up with.”
“I’m not going to say we can’t win. I feel like we win every day,” Lassiter said. “But we have these moments where the only thing you can say is, ‘Damn. I work my butt off, I have these accolades, but I still have to deal with this.”
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Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.
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Errin Haines Whack covers urban affairs for The Associated Press. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous